>> you're watching wbal-tv 11, live, local, late breaking. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> welcome to 11 news sunday morning, i'm jennifer franciotti. lisa has the morning off. first we'll check outside. it is windy and cold out right now. >> and the winds are strong behind the storm that brought

accumulating snow. something suspect that i want to check out, a couple of flurries might be passing through baltimore, maybe towards the lower eastern shore. you can see them near talbot and queen anne's county. i would be interested to know if you guys in those counties are seeing anything whatsoever. the strong winds from the great lakes region is producing lake-effect snow showers. the forecast today, winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour. we're starting with clouds, then clearing. highs in the upper 30's to low 40's. details on the seven-day. >> yesterday's snowstorm was the third this week in maryland. frederick, cecil and carroll counties saw measurable snowfall but many escaped the several inches experienced to the north of us and despite the lack of snow, temperatures may have

caused wet spots to freeze so transportation officials urge caution when driving. people took advantage of the snow by going sledding, like in farmington, connecticut. forecasters say central connecticut could see up to eight inches of snow by the end of the weekend. you can track storms anywhere with your iphone and our radar apps. now to the firestorm in the nation's capital and the last-ditch effort to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff. the deadline is looming new year's day. here's brian mooar with the big story this morning. >> as senate leaders were behind closed doors, president obama and republicans issued dueling messages on the web. >> we can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy.

the economy is growing. but keeping it that way means that folks you sent to washington have to do their jobs. >> if the nation goes over the fiscal cliff next tuesday, each side blames the other. >> we can avoid going over the fiscal cliff if the president and democrat controlled senate step forward this week and work with republicans to solve this problem and solve it now. >> all over the country now, uncertainty is in the air. >> it's not a matter of am i going to pay my light bill or not but will it deplete my savings. problem and solve it now. >> all over the country now, uncertainty is in the air. >> it's not a matter of am i going to pay my light bill or not but will it deplete my savings. >> even if the impact isn't real, the perceived impact could cause us to drop off in sales. >> getting a deal is up to the senate's top democrat and top republican. >> we are engaged in discussions, the majority leader and myself and the white house, in the hopes we can come forward as early as sunday and have a recommendation. >> whatever we come up with will be imperfect. some people aren't going to like it.

some people will like it less but that's where we are. >> majority leader harry reid and minority leader mitch mcconnell say they're confident they come to a compromise but they have to sell it to john boehner and fellow republicans before the deadline. >> president obama will be david gregory's exclusive guest on "meet the press" later this morning. you can watch his interview at 10:00 a.m. former president george h.w. bush is out of intensive care and said to be improving this morning. he is in a regular room at houston methodist hospital. a family spokesperson says the family thanks everyone for their prayers and good wishes. he is being treated for a cough. a lawyer for one of the survivors of the newtown school massacre says the state of

connecticut didn't do enough to keep kids safe and wants to sue for $100 million. the attorney says the state failed to provide a safe setting for his clintd, an unidentified 6-year-old girl. he says after hearing gunfire, she was left with emotional scars. to howard county where police say they've cracked a string of burglaries that hit homes in columbia and ellicott city. nadia ramdass has the story. >> the alleged victim is concerned the man she accused of burglarizing her home will be on the streets again. this woman who asked us to conceal her identity lives in fear after coming face to face with a burglar at her howard county home. >> he knows who i am. >> police arrested kenneth vollmerhausen and charged him with multiple counts of burglary and theft. the ellicott city man was arrested in connection with a robbery at this home in the 2600

block of melba road in ellicott city on december 21, a day this woman won't forget. >> i said i've been a nervous wreck ever since. >> she came home to find a truck in her driveway. she thought it was the telephone company and was confronted by vollmerhausen, who threw her jewelry at her, apologized and drove off in his truck. >> he sped out, cut sideways there and you can see what he did to the fence. totally destroyed the chain link. >> she said vollmerhausen took off with the family jewelry box. it contained family heirlooms, including her parents' wedding rings. >> he walked right by the electronics. he was after the jewelry. >> investigators link vollmerhausen to three more december burglaries in howard county where he's accused of stealing watches and jewelry. vollmerhausen pled guilty to first-degree burglary in carroll county earlier this month. his four-year sentence was suspended and he was placed on probation when he committed

another crime. >> that judge will get a letter from me. i hold that judge as responsible for this as i do the criminal. he shouldn't have been out. >> vollmerhausen is held without bond at the howard county detention center. we are in ellicott city, nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> time right now, 9:08, 35 degrees at b.w.i. many accidents and fatalities occur around new year's eve. how to stay safe and sober while enjoying cell bration. are you attending a new year's eve party? a fashion sure to catch everyone's attention. >> you have a few days to make a difference on 2012 taxes. i'll explain coming up. >> and for those of you planning to go out for new year's eve, we'll look at the forecast coming up.

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ava marie. >> we are taking a look at the radar right now and lake-effect snow showers have been tracking through ohio, pennsylvania, west virginia, all morning long. some are accumulating. what we are watching is a few flurries trying to make their way into central maryland. we've seen a couple of around baltimore. someone reported a flurry in lutherville. look at this icy mix trying to show up in queen anne's, talbot county, moving into the area. it's interesting how quickly the weather can change. this is associated with the lake-effect snow showers coming down behind latest storm. overall, we're not expecting more accumulation across the area today. yesterday, there were respectable amounts north and west including two to three inches across carroll county. across northern baltimore county, 1.8 inches reported in

parkton, 2.5 in harford county and scarborough. watch out for ice this morning as roads may be wet. winds are strong behind the latest storm system helping produce lake-effect snores and flurries in our area. 21 miles per hour in annapolis, 22 at b.w.i. marshall and 24 in la plata. the winds are sustained and gusts are stronger. keep in mind, things will keel cold today as it's only 36 at the airport, 41 do you downtown9 in college park. factoring in the winds, it feels like it's in the upper 20's and lower 30's. 34 for the high temperature in southern pennsylvania today, 39

for central maryland and 41 for ocean city. high pressure will sneak its way in tonight into tomorrow. then we watch new year's eve into new year's day, a storm system coming this way, likely close enough for overrunning precipitation in maryland and watching for an icy mix. if people are traveling for the holiday, roads could be iffy at times. monday, dry during the day. new year's eve looks dry, chilly. my new year's day, the wintry mix we have to worry about, the next day we dry out, 39 on wednesday with partly sunny skies. quiet the rest of the week. >> it's hard to believe tuesday is new year's day and with the start of the new year, you have to think of filing 2012 taxes and although there are two days

left in this year, it's not too late t ensure you get a bigger return. kim dacey has details. >> the clock is ticking down on 2012 but you have time to make your tax return bigger. >> charitable deductions, either through cash contributions or non-carb contributions to organizations like good will, salvation arm y. >> you can increase your mortgage interest deduction. >> pay your january 2013 mortgage before december 31 and that will add an extra month of mortgage interest to deductions. >> you also have until december 31 to file for homestead tax credit. king says it's a simple online application that takes only five minutes but can save you big-time on property taxes. >> the homestead tax credit is a credit given by the state of maryland that caps the

assessment of your property, your real estate, your personal residence, basically. >> we should all closely watch negotiations on capitol hill. if we go over the fiscal cliff, our 2013 taxes will be dramatically affected and it's significant enough that most will see the difference in the paychecks immediately. >> the most significant impact is that the social security tax rate will go up 2%. if you are an employee making $100,000 a year, automatically you'll see a $2,000 increase in social security withholding. >> you have until monday, april 15, to file taxes. for more tax tips or information, visit wbaltv.com. >> there's plenty of news ahead. tips on how to stay safe and sober this new year's eve.

>> looking good for big night tomorrow is important and here with great ideas is lindsey

bushehr from urban chic. you have hot new looks. >> yeah, we do. our first model is kelly. with kelly, we have an edgy alternative to the black dress. we have sequins, pop of color, the leatherettes which read as leather, which are awesome. and we love ivory, ivory with the silver and black works really well. >> and hot boots. >> charcoal booty, comfortable, not too high. >> if you don't want a dress, that's a great a a alternative. >> our next model is lee ann. we have a lot of metallics and layering of jewelry and this is more of a classic body. a shashana dress. easy, bra friendly and fun

with a sparkle and we layered jewelry, the ring, teal. good pop of color there. >> thank you very much. this is cleopatra. >> yes. this is a fan favorite, this dress. this has been so much fun. spin around and show the back. >> wow! >> love the back. >> va-va-voom. >> a stunning dress, definitely a statement piece. >> she wears it well. >> yes. it's comfortable, it's not form fitted. this is an awesome piece, definitely one of our favorites. >> that is great. you look gorgeous in that. thank you very much. this is breaking up the block coloring here. >> a couple of key trends here. the metallic and sparkle and this is also very, very comfortable dress and spin you around and we have the cut-outs. >> can we move her hair? >> yes also another fun trend.

cut-outs are big for the spring, as well something carried over. and it's navy. >> goes with everything. >> another great holiday dress. >> thank you very much. beautiful. all your models are gorgeous. >> thank you. we have katie. this dress is more of a black tie -- >> more formal. >> definitely more formal. great color, also a little bit of the cut-out, back to the trend, and easy, you can do this with gold, with silver. she has fun platforms. another really great dress. >> i love the different lengths of the dress. we have a surprise last-minute model here with us. you'll recognize her, ava marie! you were born to model. >> the back of this is awesome, too, cut-out. it's your black dress with a little bit of spice, strays away

from the traditional dress. >> very pretty. ava has experience modeling with us but you don't have a microphone. >> no. i was involved with the urban chic fashion show. let's bring all the models back. >> where can we find urban chic? >> harbor east on alzanna and today we're open 11 11:00 to 6:00 and tomorrow, as well. >> gorgeous. thank you so much for joining us. great ideas, lindsey. stay with us. coming up next, john, carrie and the "sunday gardener." >> and look at this, fruit on here. >> looks like a citrus, maybe a lime. you can do this in the house.

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>> good morning and welcome to your "sunday gardener," i'm john collins along with carrie engel. some of you may have gotten citrus for the holidays. >> they've lifted a quarantine out of florida from the last several years and citrus is available for homeowners and i've always enjoyed growing limes because you get a lot of limes on the tree. they're easy to use. they're relatively fast and you might get a couple of crops a year. >> these aren't flowered yet.

how long before you get a usable lime? >> probably three to four months from here. >> really. what does this plant to hold on to these flowers, stay this lush looking. it's been in ideal conditions and you bring it to a regular house, what does it need? >> i have two in my house, they're in front of bright windows. it probably gets to be 55, 60 degrees. >> does it matter which direction the window faces and it's just bright? >> you want some direct sun so mine faces southwest so it does pretty well. the other thing you need is humidity. you can do that by misting a plant. the better way is to put a saucer of pebbles with water in the bottom. >> or a combination. misting twice a day? >> as often as you can.

mine even get a shower once a week, every two weeks. we don't shower together but do shower. that keeps the humidity level up and keeps it nice. and when you bring plants in a house, they are stressed and tend to get scale that grows along the stems or under the leaf. the oil spray, spray this on the plant. cover furniture or carpeting or whatever. >> scale is an insect that suffocates them. >> it suffocates them and sucks the juice out of the plant and leaves a residue and it can be a problem. january or february, if it's nice a couple of days outside, i'll take mine out, spray it, let it sit a day and bring it back in. >> you brought this out.

>> this is a plant food. you can use it for citrus and avocados. >> is this the kind you use? >> you want to use it to promote buds. i would use them late february, early march, but that will help get this going. two years ago i had 88 limes on my plant. they do the job. >> i'll come over for dinner and spice a meal up. that's a great idea. citrus. this is lime but there are other varieties? >> better ones for our latitude will be sour fruitso lemons, limes, kumquats and the miniature oranges. >> great ideas. thanks for joining us. more on the "sunday gardener" next year. >> if you have a gardening question, send it to "sunday gardener," wbal-tv, 3800 hooper

avenue, baltimore maryland 21211. you can go to our website, wbaltv.com. time is 9:28, 36 degrees at the airport. much more news ahead. new year's day is a big birthday for one of america's most important documents and you have a chance to see the emancipation proclamation in person. >> a flurry or two around the area. otherwise, winds are the story in the weather department.

>> you're watching wbal-tv 11, live, local, late breaking. >> welcome back to 11 news sunday morning. our quick change artist is right here. what a dress, that was gorgeous. >> it was so pretty. that was neat of them to join us. good ideas for the new year. >> amy decker beauty did the hair and makeup for everyone. our forecast? >> we're keeping an eye on the new year's eve holiday. new year's day has potential for wintry weather. today, flurries. 41 degrees downtown, 36 at the airport and catonsville. we expect clouds to start and should see clearing in the afternoon. highs only in the upper 30's to low 40's with gusty winds,

feeling colder, gusts up to 35 miles per hour and wintry weather could move in for new year's day. >> parts of maryland got snow yesterday but a wallop in new england. massachusetts was clobbered. that storm dumped four to eight inches around boston and up to a foot of snow in areas farther inland. washington lawmakers groping for a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff on january 1. president obama chastised lawmakers for waiting until the last empty but said there was time for agreement. leaders could present legislation later today or on monday. former president george h.w. bush is out of intensive care, said to be improving at houston's methodist hospital. a spokesperson says the family thanks everyone for their good

wishes. a rare treat in washington, d.c. this weekend. the public will get a chance to see the emancipation proclamation in person at its home at the national archives. >> it lines up with the declaration of independence. >> the emancipation proclamation signed by president lincoln january 1, 1863. to celebrate, its making a rare public appearance sunday through tuesday at the national archives. >> when you can see lincoln's signature and all of the other provision of the document, it brings the document to life. >> it declared that all slaves in states rebelling against the union were to be forever free but didn't immediately end slavery. lincoln didn't have the power to

enforce it in areas under confederate control. what the document did do was become a symbol of hope for nearly four million slaves and fundamentally changed the character of the war. >> it was important. it was a military measure. lincoln did not do this for humanitarian regions. reasons. he did it as a consequence of being commander-in-chief. >> this is the official document with the u.s. seal and lincoln's signature, setting it party from other copies and drafts. it's rarely been made accessible. having been badly damaged decades ago by light exposure. conservators rotate which pages are shown. >> our strategy is to limit the amount of light exposure and that means to limit the length of time it's on display and keep light levels low. >> preserving this piece of history for people today and generations to come.

>> the emancipation proclamation will be on display in the rotunda of the national archives today, monday and tuesday and on new year's eve that exhibit will stay open past midnight. don't go, we'll be right back with more news in a moment. here's david gregory with a look at what's coming up on "meet the press." >> i sit down exclusively with president obama for his first appearance on the program in over three years, underscoring the importance of the high stakes showdown taking place over the next 48 hours in washington. will there be a deal on the fiscal cliff before the clock 31st.s midnight on the other pressing topics, guns, benghazi, what he hopes

>> now, your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with ava marie. time is 9:38, here's a like look outdoors. skycam showing the camera bumping around in strong winds. at the airport, gusts at 36 miles per hour. the sky is trying to break apart, sun shining through. even though we're seeing the sun, we've also seen flurries across the area, something unexpected. we didn't expect them to reach this far south but on the radar picture there's a hint of some flurries and sprinkles making their way to the eastern shore, through caroline county at this point. nothing major whatsoever. we've had reports of flurries in baltimore, as well. this will not accumulate.

this is instability left over from the system yesterday. the radar showing the storm continues to spin towards the north and east moving into atlantic canada right now with cold wind behind it causing lake-effect snow showers downwind of lake erie, lake ontario, upstate new york and pennsylvania where they're getting the accumulating snow and a little bit of instability is bringing flakes into maryland. as far as winds go, we're seeing them sustained at 22 miles per hour. the airport 21 miles per hour in annapolis, 24 in california and ocean city. those are sustained winds. it will be gusty into the afternoon, taking a toll on temperatures. not only does it make it feel colder, it actually prevents temperatures from warming up because it's transporting cold air into the region. 37 in easton, 38 in ocean city and 37 to the south in la plata. don't expect it to warm into the

afternoon, highs only in the upper 30's to low 40's. the mountains will be even colder, ranging from 24 in garrett county to 33 in hagerstown. a couple of flurries may make their way out of pennsylvania. high pressure builds in to bring quiet weather into new year's eve. then the next storm system skirts by to the south on tuesday which could cause an icy mix across the area. models indicate it would be further to the south so may be a bigger concern to the south. if you plan to travel on tuesday, check back with us. new year's day, up to 41 degrees, 39 on wednesday, partly sunny, quiet through the rest of the week and maybe something else arrives on saturday. >> in this morning's 3-d

project, new year's eve tomorrow night, that means parties which will include alcohol. mike gimbal is here with some tips. >> let me first say to everyone, if you're going to a party and you know you're going to drink, don't drive. get a ride home, spend the night, call a cab. if you're hosting a party and serving alcohol, don't let any of your guests leave intoxicated. very simple. now we can get to tips -- but it's a matter of planning ahead, whether you're hosting a party or attending a party. >> responsibility on both ends. >> not to make alcohol the big part of the party. there are nonalcoholic beverages. here's a nonalcoholic wine, a nonalcoholic beer you can serve. you want to make sure you have food so people have solid food,

it slows down absorption of the alcohol. >> and the nonalcoholic beer. >> and remember our demonstration, a shot glass, five ounces of wine or 12-ounce can of beer have the same amount of alcohol and people tend to when they they feel drink is not always equal to what the law says that you're legally drunk and that's the part we want to remember. this year we've got a push about mixing medications with alcohol and asking everyone if you're going to be drinking and you're taking a medication, call your pharmacist, call your physician any. pain medication should never be mixed with alcohol. >> this is something you brought this alcohol whipped cream.

something very popular. >> something new, they've made which will in whipped cream. it's got a lot of alcohol in it so if you drink a lot of it, you will get drunk, and if you put it on certain desserts. it's part of the celebration but you need to be aware, especially if you have kids at your party, underaged kids. >> it looks like regular whipped cream. >> somebody in recovery, they can't drink these items. >> and coffee drinks, a lot of folks will put that on coffee. that won't help you get sober. >> you bring up coffee. when someone's drunk, giving them coffee does not sober a person up. it just makes you a wide awake drunk. coffee does not sober a person, energy drinks don't expect. the only thing that helps is time. let them sleep it off, let them spend the night.

don't give them gadgets and drinks. >> you can put them on the couch. more of the tips you have, you want to make sure people are maybe stopping to serve their drinks before they leave. >> an hour before and be aware of your guests, watch what's going on and never serve anyone under the age of 21. never serve minors. that's really important. be aware of your guests and again, get them a ride home, let them spend the night. we have tipsy taxi in baltimore. lots of resources to help people but if you plan ahead, you can make it a wonderful time and the next day wake up and not have a hangover and still be alive. >> and feel good and hit the gym. please don't go away. up next, holiday brunch in the kitchen.

>> welcome back. it's time for our very last holiday brunch and joining us is jason dike from jay paul's restaurant at harbor place. anyway, basically you're making a maryland-style eggs benedict. >> we did lamb chops for your new year's eve party. now it's new year's day morning. the best thing to cure a

hangover, eggs, bacon, potatoes. we did poached eggs. you want to do a slow simmer on the water and add a little bit of white wine vinegar. it takes two to three minutes in there, as well, depending on how runny you would like them. >> you were gentle. keep it together. >> if you drop it in quickly, the eggs separate. we did roasted pote's, caramelized peppers and onions, english muffin and hollandaise sauce, made of liquid egg yolk and butter. >> can you buy that? >> it's best to make it from scratch. there are recipes on the

internet. it is a little labor intensive. >> and fact it has crab in it makes it maryland style. >> with old bay on top. we have a sparkling sauce made with ginger liqueur, apple cider. >> by sauce, you mean drink. >> it's garnished with granny smith apple and goes perfectly with the brunch. >> you said ginger, that's a new hot flavor put into everything. >> it has a strong flavor. it goes well with apple cider and champagne. it's not something you'll find a lot of restaurants. >> by hot i mean trendy. exciting. you paired that together, it goes well, a lot of food groups. and what else are you looking forward to through the holiday season? >> we have fleaver -- new year's eve tomorrow, we'll have

chocolate fountain from 10:00 to midnight for the guests enjoying the fireworks and you can access it on the internet, like us on facebook. we cater to corporate events, private parties, rehearsal dinners. >> is it too late to sign up for new year's eve? >> not at all. we won't be doing catering but we accept reservations for tomorrow nig. >> how can people make reservations? >> call the restaurant, speak with the manager. >> very good. that sounds appetizing. something you can get practice with the poaching on the eggs. if you would hike this information, go to our website, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to holiday brunch, wbal-tv, 3800 hooper avenue, baltimore maryland 21211. stay with us.

>> coming up in sports, we'll check in with the ravens and the bengals. what ray rice says about the postseason.

>> now, 11 sports with pete gilbert. >> good morning and for the final time of the regular season, happy game day. ravens and bengals, a game about which we have no idea what's going to happen. i don't know how much the ravens are going to rest their players, same for the bengals. there's nothing to be gained from winning this one but you want to build momentum and the ravens would like to earn a sweep because in week one, they dominated the bengals, winning by 30 points at m&t bank stadium. the bengals say they don't like the ravens, and it's a matter of redemption.

but the big picture is staying healthy and playing for the postseason. both teams playing in that. regardless of what happens today, ray rice says, this team is absolutely ready for another postseason run. >> we're talking about a ravens team who's battle tested. there's not nothing you can throw at us that we've not dealt with. we've dealt with injury, we've even dealt with death with one of our teammates' family members. we've dealt with everything you can imagine in one year so this team right here is focused. >> we will find out later today exactly who the ravens will host next weekend in the wild card round of the postseason. most likely they'll play the colts. could be a rematch with the bengals. we'll have to wait and see. we'll break it down for you on "ravens wrap-up" following "sunday night football." "sunday night football," you have the redskins and the cowboys. winner wins the n.f.c. east, loser probably done for the season.

we'll see you then. >> there's the finished product. gorgeous. >> the light street pavilion, where you're located. you're looking forward to specials on new year's eve. >> triple-a said tipsy taxi is not in service for indy 250. the forecast? >> couple of flurries this morning, nothing major. 40 by the afternoon and very windy, makes feel cold. new year's eve looks dry and new year's day could see a wintry mix. >> thanks for joining us. "meet the press" is next. go ravens, game time in three hours. >> have a great day. captioned by the national captioning institute ---www.ncicap.org---

>> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial with dan joerres. >> as we come to the close of another year, we think of our loved ones who are sacrificing their lives for our liberty and pursuit of happiness. we take our regularly scheduled

editorial time to share greetings from those in the military to families in maryland. they will also be available on wbaltv.com, click on editorials. from the wbal-tv 11 family to yours, happy holidays. >> i'm dale inman from edgewater, maryland, and i wish happy holidays to my family whom i love very much. happy holidays from kabul, afghanistan. >> i'm mark schaffer from annapolis, maryland. like to send my love to jennifer, my son, kai, my daughter, dana, mom and dad, seasons greetings from kabul, afghanistan. >> i'm michelle carter from kabul, afghanistan. special holiday greeting in baltimore, maryland, to jasmine, howard, friends and family in aberr deem, maryland, baltimore,

and a shout out to the ravens.